In Which I Beg for Sweet Release From Breaking Dawn: Chapter 4 -- Gesture · 11:07am Jun 25th, 2018
The reception begins as Bella looks over all the people who’ve come. A lot of it is listing off names of the obligatory guests — friends and family who don’t play much of a role in the rest of the series. In spite of being a werewolf, Seth is genuinely enthusiastic that Bella and Edward got married. They go through the cake-cutting, the pictures, the dancing, everything. (I’m kind of curious who’s the poor schmuck who got stuck serving the beer and wine. When my brother got married, I, being an antisocial butterfly, volunteered for that.)
Then Jacob shows up, back from his whiny sojourn. Edward quickly maneuvers Bella away from the crowd so she can have some privacy with Jacob. Jacob admits he came back to see Bella one last time. They dance, and, in spite of just getting married, Bella lightly flirts with Jacob.
“But I’m not here to ruin your wedding, Bella. I’m here to…” He trailed off.
“To make it perfect.”
“You’d think I’d be used to telling you goodbye by now,” he murmured.
I tried to swallow the lump in my throat, but I couldn’t force it down.
CM + 2
Eventually, the conversation turns to when Bella’s going to be turned into a vampire. She admits she’s not sure; probably in a week or two. She wants to have a real honeymoon with Edward, which is a bit tricky if she’s paralyzed with pain during vampirization. Jacob is shocked by the idea of a real honeymoon and starts shaking her while yelling at her. Edward quickly intervenes, separating the two; Seth, Sam, and Quil also get between Jacob and Edward to prevent a fight. Jacob’s livid, hissing that he’ll kill Edward, so the wolves pull Jacob away from the wedding before he can change. As the entire confrontation was out-of-the-way, no one else noticed; Edward quickly pulls Bella back onto the dance floor before she’ll be missed. Bella angsts about upsetting Jacob a little before she gets drawn into the dance.
“I could get used to this,” I said.
“Don’t tell me you’ve gotten over your dancing issues?”
“Dancing isn’t so bad — with you. But I was thinking more of this,” -and I pressed myself to him even tighter- “of never having to let you go.”
CM + 1
Alice thankfully ruins the clingy moment by proclaiming that it’s time for the couple to head to the airport for their honeymoon; Edward’s been keeping the location a secret from Bella, so this is the first hint she has as to where they’re going. Bella and Edward say their goodbyes and drive off, but as they do, Bella hears Jacob howling.
Clinginess Meter: 15
I’m positive this book has more padding than the others. A lot of this chapter ultimately contributed nothing to the story — greeting people who’ll never show up again, cake-cutting, goodbyes… It’s boring. It’s really, really boring.
I'm reminded that I actually liked the description of Jacob when he first showed up. "Team Jacob was right," I said. But he's just as ultimately whiny and unlikable as any other main character in this series. :| Stephanie Meyer, Thing Ruiner.
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I think that's Bella's supernatural power, even before her turning. She's a psychologically addictive substance. Anyone who feels romantic love for her soon becomes a Bella-junkie, whiny, petty, and otherwise strung out on Swan.
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You might actually be on to something. Edward, being a vampire, spent about a century learning to cope with his other addiction. Jacob, who only recently werewolf-ed and thus has not had a century of coping with addiction, couldn’t stop himself from more or less sexually harassing her in the previous book. That bit when he kissed her and she broke her fist on his face.